Chapter 1: The Loop and Graduation

Disclaimer: Naruto is the work of Kishimoto

"AHHHHHHHHHHH!"

Naruto woke up from his bed. However unlike before, he clearly saw that Iruka was killed in front of him by someone. It was so realistic that it was as if Iruka died in front of him just then.

'It was all a dream right?'

He remembered failing the graduation tests and Mizuki telling him of a make-up test. He then snuck into the Hokage tower and stole the Scroll of Sealing and then escaped into the forest to learn a jutsu which he did.

'Shadow Clone Jutsu…was it all real?'

Making a cross sign with his fingers on both hands he poured Chakra into the jutsu and said, "Shadow Clone Jutsu."

Poof.

A single clone stood next to him when he did. In a hurry, Naruto touched the clone and quickly realised that it was real and solid. That meant the dream wasn't a dream and he paled.

'Iruka-sensei! What happened to him afterwards?'

Naruto ran out of his apartment to search for him ignoring the glares that he got from the villagers. Where would Iruka be? The hospital? Maybe but the people there didn't like him and he doubt he would find anything out like that. In that case, the Academy? People there didn't like him as well.

'In that case, I need to see Hokage-jiji! He knows everything in this village'

With that thought, Naruto charged into the office of the Hokage and shouted, "What happened to Iruka-sensei?!"

There was a pregnant silence between the people in the room as he saw Iruka standing there. Not full of holes and bleeding out in front of him and dying from his wounds from an unknown perpetrator.

"Naruto?" Iruka had a quizzed look on his face while Mizuki had a neutral look. Hokage-jiji seemed amused at what Naruto said before Iruka's face turned dark and he hit Naruto on the head shouting, "What are you barging in for idiot?!"

Naruto rubbed his sore head before becoming confused that Iruka was here and fine. That was before Iruka asked, "Why are you still here Naruto. The graduation tests are happening in an hour, hurry up to the Academy."

Naruto remembered the graduation tests and failing. Thus he became even more confused but he knew he shouldn't say anything. That was his instincts at the moment and he frowned.

'What's going on, graduation exams were yesterday? Am I in some sort of Genjutsu?' he thought before thinking about it while leaping to the Academy. Things went as they were before to the point that Naruto was freaked out by it. Every last word everyone said was exactly the same. Every test was the same as well to the point that he failed using the Clone Jutsu again with Mizuki trying to persuade Iruka to pass him and Iruka failing him.

It was so surreal that he ignored Mizuki telling of the make-up test and a few hours later, everything went black before he fell asleep.

Waking up for a third time feeling strange, Naruto remembered everything and this time he checked the calendar.

"Today is the day of the graduation test….again" he mused.

Living through the tests three times made everything predictable. Trying to figure out how he got back here for a third time, he remembered Mizuki telling him of the make-up test but never going for it like the first time.

'It looks like I have to do it else I have to repeat this again' he thought this time eating breakfast, putting on his orange jumpsuit before heading to the Academy, this time not super early. Putting on the motions, Naruto's excitement and emotions were quite dull for the tests.

He knew he failed the written test since he couldn't even tell what was written on there for most of it, plus the fact he couldn't care about it. He got average on his accuracy test and failed the ninjutsu test where he still couldn't do the Clone Jutsu. Never mind that he could now use the Shadow Clone Jutsu which was way better than the stupid Clone Jutsu.

Then Mizuki appeared and told him of the make-up test though he didn't give the whole speech on why he shouldn't blame Iruka this time.

'Must be because he wanted to encourage him on the make-up test those times that led him to that' Naruto thought.

Soon enough, Naruto was able to repeat the act of stealing the Scroll of Sealing taking out Hokage-jiji with his original jutsu! He still giggled a that sight of the Hokage-jiji falling like that. A little bit later in the hours, Naruto was nervous again. This was where Iruka died the first time. He didn't want Iruka to die.

However he needed to act his part.

"Hehehehe, you caught me" said Naruto with a sleepish grin still on his face. However this was all an act this time.

"NARUTO! What are you doing?!" demanded Iruka in a serious tone. Now that he thought about it, something was strange about this make-up test. Iruka should have known about it, right?

"Ne, ne. I learnt a jutsu from this scroll and now I can become a genin right? I passed the make-up test right?" asked Naruto in an excited tone. Soon…he had to protect Iruka.

Iruka looked confused for reasons Naruto now also shared and asked, "Who told you this?"

Naruto figured that he wasn't told of the make-up test and said, "Mizuki-sensei!"

Irukaand Naruto both sensed something and at the same time Iruka pushed him away to which he was still pinned to the wall. Naruto watched in horror as that same giant Shuriken flew to kill Iruka…but didn't.

Iruka barely caught the Shuriken with his hands and then shouted, "Show yourself!" looking everywhere at once to find the enemy.

And so he did, with another giant Shuriken on his face, Mizuki appeared.

"Waaa?"

Both Naruto and Iruka were shocked seeing Mizuki. Iruka figured it out first while Naruto did a second later.

Mizuki used Naruto to steal the Scroll of Sealing. It wouldn't have made sense the first time round but after looking things through, Naruto knew that there was no way that a mere make-up test would involve stealing one of the most well-guarded item in the village.

Mizuki was a traitor using Naruto.

But all of this couldn't stop Naruto from being shocked stuttering, "Mi-Mizuki-sensei?" out while Mizuki laughed out evilly. The change of expression from what Naruto and the rest of the class knew and what he saw now was so different.

"Mizuki why?!" Iruka shouted at Mizuki who continued to laugh.

Looking down at Naruto and Iruka who was injured, Mizuki explained, "Simple. I want the Scroll of Sealing which has forbidden jutsus in it to become stronger. This village has stunted my growth no more!"

Naruto saw that Mizuki's eyes were hard and cold….like the rest of the village towards him when they looked at him.

"And how else can I do that besides using the Demon Brat as my tool? Konoha will rejoice in me slaying you" Mizuki sneered as Naruto looked confused. Mizuki thankfully added the question, "Do you know why the villagers treat you so bad? Why they scorn and hate your very existence?"

Naruto's ears despite the situation perked up. It was one of the things that he wanted to know so bad. Hokage-jiji didn't tell him no matter how much he asked and everyone else just averted the question.

"Why?" Naruto asked.

Noticing where the conversation was heading Iruka shouted, "Stop! That's forbidden!"

Mizuki sneered for a second time before shouting, "Because you are the Kyuubi that attacked this village 13 years ago! You are the Demon that took away the Yondaime Hokage and countless others on that night! That is why you are hated. It is because you are the Kyuubi in human form!"

Shock.

That was the first thing Naruto felt when he heard that. Now he knew of why the villagers hated things, it all made sense. Why people glared at him when he passed. Why stores kicked him out when he entered. Why he was overcharged on the ones he could enter.

Then he felt Fear.

Now that he stole the scroll, what was keeping them from hunting him down? On his birthday, there were mobs once or twice that were drunk trying to attack him. Most of the time they didn't do anything but it was only on his birthday, the day the Kyuubi attacked that mobs ever occurred. It wasn't like they actively attacked him. They had no reason to.

But now….

"AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!"

Naruto ran for life fearing for the worst. He had no allies here, only enemies.

Naruto was crying. Iruka knew and he accepted him nonetheless. He at least had one person that cared for him and trusted him. And that meant more than everything to Naruto. However Mizuki was trying to kill Iruka

That could not be allowed.

As Mizuki went to kill Iruka with his remaining giant Shuriken, Naruto leaped into the way and kicked it and Mizuki away from Iruka planting the Scroll of Sealing vertically on the ground next to him.

"Don't you dare hurt Iruka-sensei!" Naruto growled.

Mizuki sneered at Naruto mocking him while saying, "And what can you do Demon Brat?"

With a smirk, Naruto called on as much Chakra as possible to power this one jutsu he managed to learn those loops ago and never used more than that one time once.

"Multiple Shadow Clone Jutsu!" he shouted as the forest around them exploded into smoke as a hundred Narutos appeared from everywhere facing Mizuki. Now he was the one in shock as Naruto mocked him now, "So what did you say?"

"Im-Impossible!" Mizuki screamed as all thousand Narutos charged at the teme at once.

Minutes later, there was a Mizuki on the ground beaten up to the point that he barely resembled a person. Naruto grinned at his work and faced Iruka worryingly. What was he going to say?

"Naruto" Iruka said gently, "Close your eyes."

Naruto nodded and did that. Just moments later, he felt something being tied to his forehead and opening it, the forehead protector that Iruka wore was now on him. Naruto was more than surprised at this as Iruka said:

"Congratulations on graduating Naruto."

More tears appeared as Naruto hugged Iruka as much as he could for doing this.

Loop 3 End. Checkpoint Gained. (Total time spent: 3 Days)